


The winning over of the Gallaghers

by LadyEkaterina



Series: The Meaning of Love [7]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family, Family Feels, Gen, Post-Canon, Season/Series 10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 04:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18336392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyEkaterina/pseuds/LadyEkaterina
Summary: Short scenes where the Gallaghers finally understand why Ian loves Mickey.





	The winning over of the Gallaghers

**Author's Note:**

> A set of short scenes that take place before and just after Mickey gets out. I wanted them all together as they tell the story of how Mickey was accepted into the Gallaghers after coming out of prison.

Lip and Ian were sat on the steps smoking a joint. Lip took a long drag.  
“So um Tammi wants me to get tested”  
“You probably should.” Ian was matter of fact. “I mean you probably should been done regularly since Karen”  
“Thanks for that.”  
He past the joint to Ian  
“Have you ever been tested?”  
“Yeah loads of times. When I was with Caleb and then they test you regularly in prison”  
“Why with Caleb? I mean it’s not like you’d had loads of dudes right?”  
Now it was Ian’s turn to take a long drag  
“You remember when I worked at the Fairy Tail. When you came to find me”  
“Yeah...”

“Well” Ian took a deep breath “I was taking anything and everything offered and quite often I would wake up and not know where I was or who I was with. “  
“Wow”  
“Yeah. Did you know Mickey came to the club soon after you did?”  
“Yeah. Well I hoped he had - I’d told Mandy”  
“I was pretty out of it and I sent him away but he waited, you know, all night. Some of the staff the told me some guy was trying to take me home.“ he laughed mirthlessly “Mickey was Mickey. Even then he was looking out for me. He beat the crap out of this guy and carried me home. Svet tore me a new one about it after we broke up”  
“He wasn’t even “out” yet but he still...” Ian stopped talking.  
“Fuck, Ian. “

“Anyway, then just before the whole Yev thing, I made a porno. Bareback.”  
Lip coughed and spluttered. “You did what? With Mickey?”  
“Oh Jesus no. Mickey was furious. He used to come to the club most nights to meet me. But I was totally fruit loops and I’d gone off with this guy. When I got home, Mick was really worried and it only got worse when I gave him the money and told him what I’d done.”  
Ian looked at his feet. “That’s what made him realise I really needed help. He didn't tell you?”  
Lip shook his head “No. He never said a word”  
“I got mad and then I just thought that taking Yev out for a drive was the answer. And it wasn’t of course.  
“Anyway that was the end of a pretty wild time. So, when Caleb mentioned it, I got tested. Luckily I was negative and from them on I was all about the condoms”  
Lip was mulling all this information in his head. And for the first time ever all he could think was “Wow, poor Mickey”. 

 

After the AA meeting, Lip, Brad, Tina and the group went out for coffee and pie. The evening had gone well. Some war stories shared and laughs had.  
”it’s been a great night guys but I gotta curfew”  
“It's early man. Why you thinking about ending it?”  
Lip looked at his watch. “I got to go home in a couple a hours. My bro needs watching. We’re taking turns.”  
“Coming off something?”  
“Ha. No, Ian has bipolar. He’s really down at the moment. So the family takes turns in looking after him”  
“Wow. That bad?”  
Brad thought of something "Your brother - He was that Gay Jesus wasn't he? Remember?", he said to the group. "You saw it on the news"  
"Fuck. that was your brother? - That was pretty messed up"  
"Yeah", said Lip "Its a crap condition"  
"That the worst thing he's ever done?"  
“I mean there was that time Ian stole Mickey’s baby”  
"Mickey?"  
"His boyfriend. Ian was totally off the rails - They had had a fight and Ian had been pretty reckless. Mickey said he was going to take him to the hospital and Ian flipped out. Took Mickey's kid and drove off."  
The table stared at him open mouthed. Brad said "And you thought your drunk antics were worth talking about?"  
"And the boyfriend's still around?"  
"Yeah." Lip sighed. "He is doing most of the looking after. We just pitch in when Mickey’s at work?"  
"Wow. He must be a pretty amazing guy."  
"Mickey?" Lip bit his lip. "He's made some pretty bad decisions."  
“But he looks after your brother?”  
“Um I suppose”  
“Even now? Despite everything you told us. Man that's impressive”  
“Yeah”. Lip looked thoughtful. He thought about Ian’s other boyfriends. Caleb had triggered a manic episode and had never even thought about it, and Trevor had completely ignored Ian when he was at his most vulnerable. The only person who had ever had Ian’s best interests at heart was Mickey. Bloody Mickey Milkovich. Who knew. He nodded, blown away by the revelation.  
“Yeah.” he said. Brad looked at him. Tina looked at Lip "That's love, right there"  
“Yeah. I reckon it is”

Later that night, Lip was watching Ian sleep whilst chatting on his iPad. 

‘Wow. I mean fucking wow.’  
'Did you know any of that - about Ian?'  
'No. I mean I knew it had got bad but I hadn't realised it was that bad - A porno?'  
'I got the impression Mickey went through a lot with Ian'  
'I’ll say! At least we knew what to expect.’  
'Yeah but he didn't'  
'No. Hey so are you softening towards him now?'  
'Maybe a little.'  
Lip paused and typed 'Maybe a lot.'  
'Good - I think he might be around for a while'  
' Looks that way.'  
'I gotta go. Love you'

Lip sighed and then typed  
'Good night Fiona - Love you.'

 

Debbie was walking Frannie home from the park. It had been a great day and Debbie had finally been admitted to the circle of moms. She was happy and feeling confident. She came home and put Frannie down for her nap. She came down and saw Carl, Mickey and Ian watching a film.  
"Hey guys - Can you watch Frannie for a bit? I got to go back to school to get something.  
"Yeah sure" echoed the three guys.

Half an hour later, Ian got a call. A colleague had phoned in sick and could Ian work a few hours today. "You OK?" He said to Mickey. "Yeah - Go. I'm exhausted today. It was a long night"

A little while later Carl got a call from a friend. Without even thinking he got nodded at Mickey "Later" and was gone. Mickey settled on the sofa and then he heard the cry. "Crap" he muttered under his breath. He looked around but he was the only one there. Mickey got up and followed the noise upstairs. Frannie was standing in her crib sobbing. "OK little person" he said, lifting her out and holding her up. Frannie stretched out her arms to him. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to hold a child. He gently jiggled her and she soon quietened down. Mickey tried to put her back into bed but that just led to more screaming. Sighing, he took her downstairs and settled on the sofa with her. Within minutes the pair were fast asleep.

Debbie had been gone too long, she knew that. But she needed to find her tutor. She had eventually found him, in a delicate position with another student. Debbie had laughed and shaken her head. But she had gotten what she needed and that was good. On her way back to the house she met up with Carl and his friend "Hi" she said "Where's Frannie? With Ian?"  
"Nope" replied Carl "Ian had to go to work"  
"She's alone!" Debbie's voice rose 3 octaves  
"No, man, Mickey's there"  
"Mickey?????". Debbie started to run and burst through the door a few minutes later. She was about to call out, when she realised she could hear snores coming from the sofa. Tiptoeing to peek over, She saw Frannie sound asleep in Mickeys arms, his shirt held tight in her chubby fist, her ginger curls on his chest. Debbie breathed out and then wiped the tears from her face. She remembered something she'd heard Ian say "I like the way he smells." Maybe he wasn't the only one. She wondered if she dared try and sniff Mickey herself.... No. Smiling, she took a picture and sent it to Ian with the words "The Frances Gallagher seal of approval"

Ian’s phone beeped. He took a quick look and his face broke into a huge smile. Eventually his partner looked over “OK what?”  
“Huh?”  
“You’ve been grinning like a maniac for the last 3 minutes. What’s going on”  
Ian showed her the pic. She nodded, smiling. “Cute.”

That night Ian came home filthy and exhausted. “Mickey in bed?” He asked. There were muffled guffaws and a “Yup”  
“I’m gonna take a shower then and join him”  
More sniggers. “Yeah” said Carl “About that.”  
“What?”  
“Frannie figured out how to get out of her crib tonight” explained Debbie.  
“And?”  
“And you should probably see this”. They led him upstairs to his and Mickey’s bedroom. Mickey was lying on his back and snuggled into the crook of his arm was Frannie.  
“What can I say?” said Lip. “Gallaghers can't resist the lure of a Milkovich”  
“OK that’s really cute. But I’m going to take a shower and then I intend to do some pretty unspeakable stuff to my boyfriend. So you probably want to make sure your daughter is in her own bed?”  
Debbie looked mock shocked “We were only waiting til you got home” and she scooped up Frannie, smirked at her brother and left.  
Mickey awoke then and rubbed his eyes. “Why the fuck is everyone in this bedroom?”  
Lip and Carl walked out sniggering and met Liam at the top of the stairs “  
“Why is Ian hurting Mickey?”  
They exchanged glances. “What?”  
“Unspeakable, he said”  
“Come on man let’s go downstairs.”


End file.
